Addis Ababa University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Addis Ababa University | |
|---|---|
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| Established | 1950 |
| Type | State university |
| President | Dr Admasu Tsegaye |
| Students | 42,497 (2009/10) |
| Location | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Campus | Addis Ababa (6 campus, including Main) Debre Zeit campus |
| Former names | University College of Addis Ababa (1950-1962) Haile Selassie I University (1962-1975) |
| Website | aau.edu.et |
It has thirteen campuses; twelve of which are in Addis Ababa and one in Bishoftu, about 45 kilometers away. It also maintains branches in many cities throughout Ethiopia, leading to the claim of being "the largest university in Africa." The government assigns qualified students to these universities upon completion of secondary school.
Associated institutions include the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, founded by Richard Pankhurst. It is the only non-U.S. member institution associated with the United Negro College Fund.
History
Addis Ababa University was founded in 1950 at the request of Haile Selassie by a Canadian Jesuit, Dr Lucien Matte, S.J. as a two-year college, and began operations the next year. Over the following two years an affiliation with the University of London was developed. The writer and theorist Richard Cummings served as a member of the Faculty of Law in the 1960s.As part of their sweeping changes, the Derg ordered Addis Ababa University temporarily closed March 4, 1975 and dispatched its 50,000 students to the countryside to help build support for the new regime. The university offered its first master's programs in 1979 and its first PhD programs in 1987.
Three top university administrators resigned their posts in December 2002 in protest against increasing government interference in internal university matters. Government officials wanted the University to change its system of student evaluations to conform to a "gemgema" (self-criticism) system favored by the ruling party.
In 2009/10 there were 20,701 enrolled undergraduate students, 7,127 graduate students, and 14,669 continuing education students, making a total student body of 42,497.
